Investing in the Kingdom of God

Transcription

1 Investing in the Kingdom of God Go up bring wood and build Haggai 1:8 Resourcing the HubHeartHome. SEPTEMBER 201

2 God has been leading us to a new facility for almost forty years but for the first time in our history it is now a reality. Through God s faithfulness, your generosity and a lot of hard work we have reached a moment that many have longed for. The only thing that could stop the fulfilment of this vision is how we respond. What happens next is up to us. What we are building We want to build a hub of community activity, a heart for community life and a home for the Gold Hill family. Our new facility will be all that a church building should be a shelter for those in need; a place where everyone is welcome and all will be shown the love and mercy of God; a centre for people to work together for the good of the wider community and the physical home of Gold Hill Baptist Church. These priorities will be reflected in the building itself because Jesus will shape all the building is used for. We will be faithful to our call as Christ s followers always. Why we are doing it For almost 250 years we have been present in this community, proclaiming Jesus, gathering in His name and serving the community around us. In the 180 s just 30 people were bold enough to build the current facility. They wanted to leave a legacy that would bless not just them but those who would come after them. We want to do the same thing. It will be more efficient, more accessible and more appropriate for the 21st century. We need a space that can help us to grow and to connect better. Our new building will help us to connect with our community, each other and God. It will also help us connect to the wider community from the heart of the village. It will provide facilities that enable mission more effectively. God has led us to build this facility and we are seeking to be obedient to His call. Investing Generously October will be a month of giving into this project and details of how you can give are outlined later. One of our core values is that we will be generous so we want to release 5% of the gifts we receive into the Global Church to support emergency provision for Christians whose lives have been devastated by persecution in other parts of the world and to support a partnership with another local church in the Global South. Those who may not want to designate 5% of their gift for that purpose will be able to give the entirety to the HubHeartHome project. How will we respond? Gold Hill s core vision and values are shaping this project. We are privileged to be the generation that can enable this momentous step and to invest in the future of our own families, communities and this nation. Like the small band of people in the 180 s, may we accept the privilege of building Seeking to be an authentic Christlike community Encountering God, making disciples, tranforming the world Eight core values lie at the heart of all we are, do and say: Biblical Missional We seek to live under God s authority expressed We will share the love of God with others and in the truths of Scripture. partner with Him in His transformation of the Courageous world by seeking to be the hands, feet and voice We will step out in faith by casting vision, of Jesus to those we encounter in every area of taking risks, trying new things and releasing one our lives. another into God s purposes. Prayerful Generous We will develop lives and habits of prayer, We will believe the best of one another, work recognising that without God we can do nothing. in partnership with others, and be generous Spirit-led with our time, resources, opinions and attitudes, We will follow the leading of the Holy Spirit, making room for others. and honour Him in every area of our lives as Loving individuals and as a church. In all that we are and do, we will seek to honour Welcoming and love one another, respecting the image of We will welcome and embrace other people, God in all people and seeking to love God with actively supporting them throughout their time all our heart, mind, soul and strength, and loving as part of our community and welcoming them our neighbours as we love ourselves. into the Gold Hill family. something, for the glory of God, that will serve our generation and the generations to come. May many people discover the love of Jesus in our new building and may we send people around the world to carry the hope of the Gospel and the light of Christ. In 2010 we explored the book of Haggai together. The truths God taught us then remain the same today. It is time for us to build. God has placed all the resources that we need to complete this project at our disposal. To see the HubHeartHome project completed will take faith, courage, generosity and sacrifice but I have seen these qualities in our church family many times. Nothing stands in our way except our own decisions. Proposed North East Elevation Proposed New Building Blays House Church Lane York House St. Peter s Parish Church 2 3

3 A remarkable journey The church family has been on an amazing journey. As we have stepped out in faith we have seen God go before us. Doors have opened in remarkable ways! Here are 10 of the milestones and a some notes about current activity. James Simmons On 4 December 2013 We committed to move from Gold Hill East as a church family. Early November 2015 We actively looked at various sites Randall Building opportunity came in. 23 November 2015 At a Special Church meeting it was agreed to purchase the Randall Building the site for the Hub Heart Home. 13 January 2016 We completed the purchase! 1 January 2016 We held our first gathering on the site and shared communion together as a church family. 22 September 2016 Planning Applications for the Hub Heart Home site and Gold Hill East site submitted and validated. 11 December 2016 We hold a Living Nativity outreach with farm animals and share the Christmas Story. 13 April 201 Maundy Thursday. Chiltern District Council Planning committee gave consent for the Hub Heart Home. 10 August 201 Chiltern District Council Planning committee gave consent for the redevelopment of the Gold Hill East site. Perspective sketch of proposed view from Church Lane September 201 Detailed design work being undertaken to enable a 10 robust cost for the hub build, and negotiations with a development partner Signing the loan agreement to finalise the purchase of the site on who could build the Hub and then build out the Gold Hill East site. 6 January 2016 Receiving the keys to the building 4 5

4 Our Financial DNA The Journey to date Total Finance raised to date: For almost 40 years Gold Hill, as a family of God s people, has sought God s will in finding a new facility, so that our work in the local community would no longer be constrained by our ability to accommodate folk who wish to worship with us or attend the many outreach events and teaching workshops for which Gold Hill has become known. Those of you who have travelled this journey with us for a while will know that we have explored a number of potential ventures in good faith only to discover that our timing and best intentions appeared not to be in tune with God s long-term plan for us and our community. Recognising that our current site was increasingly becoming unfit for purpose, the elders agreed to set up a team to look into building a facility. The vision was that this would act as a Hub for use by our community, be as close to the Heart of our village as possible and would provide a new Home in which the Gold Hill family could worship, but also reach out to people in the Chalfonts area, within Buckinghamshire, out into the UK and around the world! As we set out on this venture, we recognised that it was only possible for us to make progress by walking in faith in the way God would guide us. At each stage we set aside time to listen to God for confirmation that we were working to his plan, not ours. After exploring a few early options we found that God had a much better plan for us made possible by his perfect timing. God led us to the site known as the Randall Building which met all of our aspirations in terms of its size and its location in the very heart of the village. It was a site that some in the Gold Hill fellowship had felt could be the right place for a number of years and the owner had been approached on a number of occasions, but they never showed any interest in selling. This time around, what became known as the Hub Heart Home Team along with our property agent met the owner and again encouraged him to offer us the property. We met with him again (a few days later) and although he still had other plans for the site, we agreed a price that day with a very short completion date. However, he would press the button for his planned development of flats if we couldn t raise the money. We managed to get the asking price reduced by 0.5m 1 January 2016 We held our first gathering on the site and shared communion together 2013 to ,000 Total = Hub Heart 2015 to 2016 Home 4,000 giving 2016 to 201 1,436, ,000 and brought the deal to the church family for consideration. Generous and often sacrificial giving by church members has so far raised the following funding for the project: ,000 and ,000 This, combined with a loan from the Baptist Union, enabled Gold Hill to buy the property, for 1.8m in January Since that time, further funds of 180k have been donated and we have been successful in securing planning permission to build our + Member loans 310,000 Baptist Union Loan 550,000 Hub/Heart/Home in the very centre of the village, and to redevelop the Gold Hill site to provide much needed housing on this side of the village. Alongside the work done to enable us to be granted Planning Permission for both sites we have, in recent months, spoken to developers with a view to combining the two developments and have chosen a preferred partner with whom we want to move forward. The additional funds needed so we can finance the gap and commission the work is 3.5m as shown in the chart on page 10. The Planning Committee for HubHeartHome 13 April 201 6

5 A glimpse into our flexible future space Key to architects drawings The layout of the building has been driven by the positioning of the large hall and foyer space which takes up the majority of the site, with support accommodation wrapping around it and other community uses, offices and support spaces above. 1. Foyer 2. Main hall 3. Prayer room 4. Kitchen 5. Plant/Store 6. Toilets. Community room 8. AV control room 9. Offices 10. Activity hall 11. Terrace 12. External plant Proposed Plan Mezzanine Level The main hall and foyer spaces have been designed to maximise flexibility. They are designed as 4 modules, each with a vaulted ceiling. Using movable walls, the main hall and foyer can be subdivided into 4 separate rooms. This is shown by the illustration below. 8 6 Proposed Plan Ground Level Proposed Plan Upper Level

6 Our financial needs and how to give As the Gold Hill family we have a window of opportunity to build the new Hub Heart Home (HHH) within our community. The HHH building will benefit financially from the development of the Gold Hill Site (GHS) but this is complicated because our planning permission to redevelop the GHS is dependent on the Church hall being available for community use until the HHH replaces it. However, God is faithful, and on Friday 22 September the following initial proposition was presented to the HHH team by the developer. This diagram illustrates the estimated values: Hub Heart Home Current Site Value Building Fund Gap The developer has offered to: a. Build the HubHeartHome b. Purchase the Gold Hill Site excluding the Manse, Talland and the cottages We now need to raise the difference totalling approximately 3.5m The cost above includes fitting out and furnishing the HubHeartHome. There are a number of factors which make this something of a one-off opportunity: a. Our developer has the capacity for both developments available at this time b. There is currently a lull in developers taking on speculative building projects c. Price escalation of building materials is lower than predicted this year which could mean sharper rises in the future if we don t secure the pricing levels on offer at this time 4 million.5 million 3.5 million These figures should be treated as estimates and may be subject to change. Our pledge to help others: As elders we believe that 5% of new gifts for the HHH project should be donated to an International Charitable project. If you already give to other causes and prefer that your entire gift is donated to the HHH project, please ensure that you tick the box on the Gift Form, or inform the Gold Hill Church Trust Treasurer. If more HHH funds are raised than are needed, we anticipate using them to further God s Kingdom here in our community and in wider mission activity. How we can give: Firstly, a huge thank you to everyone who has given financial support, made financial pledges and contributed in so many other ways already. We could not have reached this point without your generosity. The present Gold Hill family has opportunity to leave a legacy for future generations that will serve as a place of outreach, worship, hope and peace. Let s give generously and sacrificially to provide this spiritual base. As church members, friends and supporters of Gold Hill Baptist Church there are a number of ways we can make this vision a reality. If you have previously made a financial commitment by filling out a pledge form we are grateful for your sacrifice. Please continue with your payments. You may have already given or pledged (again thank you). However, after prayerful consideration you may now wish to give additionally to bring the HHH project to fruition. If so, please complete a further giving/ gift aid form or simply contact John Sadler or Chris Gledhill. You may not have been in the position to make a financial gift or pledge last time or you may be new to Gold Hill. If so, please consider how you can now contribute to the project. Each of us faces different circumstances, challenges and opportunities, so it is good to ask God for wisdom as we make these financial decisions. Gold Hill Church Trust bank details are: Sort code: Account number: Ref: HHH (your name) 10 11

7 One-off gifts One-off gifts are expected to be the biggest source of funds for the project. The pyramid below shows an example of the number and size of gifts that could be required to meet the target. Additional regular giving Additional regular giving (monthly) is required to pay the interest on any loans and make repayment to capital. The pyramid below shows an example of the number and size of gifts that could be required to match our expected targets. 200 giving 1-1k 150 pledging k k k 5 100k 1 250k These are examples of how funding could be achieved Artist impression of the auditorium Gift Aid If you have any questions concerning Gift Aid, please speak to either Chris Gledhill or John Sadler. A Gift Aid form can be found on page 15. Other ways of giving: Gifts Commercial loan Interest free loans Other sources Company giving As mentioned above. These can be one-off gifts or regular gifts provided by the church family or others through gift days, fundraising events and other activities. We can explore increasing our commercial loan options. Some supporters may be able to make interest free loans. Funds may be given via a Trust or other means such as a legacy or gift of a property or shares. Individuals who have their own Company may consider giving a charitable gift or asking to enter into a sponsorship arrangement HMRC allows favourable tax treatment for such giving to charities. See John Sadler for further information. If you should have any questions concerning giving or if you consider that you have special circumstances please speak to John Sadler, Chris Gledhill, Malcolm Duncan or James Simmons. Artist impression of a community room 12 13

8 Artist impression of the activity hall Hub Heart Home Gift Form Gift Aid and Standing Order Title...First Name...Surname... Address Postcode... If you are a UK taxpayer, the value of your gift can be increased by 25% at no cost to you, under the Gift Aid scheme provided you pay an amount of income tax each year at least equal to the tax that all charities and Community Amateur Sports Clubs that you donate to will be able to reclaim. YES I want Gold Hill Church Trust to treat this and all future gifts of money that I make as Gift Aid. NO I do not pay income tax or do not wish to Gift Aid my donations. I want all my donations to be used for the Hub Heart Home project. Signature...Date... Hub Heart Home Governance Structure The Hub Heart Home Project has continued to evolve as God s plan for us has been made known. There is an HHH Project Board with several HHH working teams underneath the Project Board to ensure that each part of the project remains accountable. The overall structure that we have in place is as follows: Gold Hill Baptist Church (GHBC) GHBC Elders GHBC The Hub Heart Home (HHH) Project Board One-off gift I would like to make a one-off gift to Hub Heart Home Project and enclose my cheque for Monthly gift Made payable to Gold Hill Church Trust. I pledge to donate the sum of per month. Please complete the Standing Order mandate below and return to Gold Hill Baptist Church. STANDING ORDER MANDATE To... Bank...Postcode... Branch Address... Account Name... HHH Project Team HHH Finance Team HHH Community Team GHBC Project Team As the Hub Heart Home Project moves forward the Governance structure will be expanded to accommodate the governance needs that arise. A number of these roles have already been filled by Church members on a voluntary basis and we thank them for their time and commitment. When the time is right, we may need to appoint a full-time person who can help us as we navigate through the design and build stage of the Project. Account No.... Sort Code... Please debit my account the sum of on the (start date) and the same day of each subsequent month until further notice and credit the account of Gold Hill Church Trust, Barclays Bank, High Street, Chalfont St Peter, Bucks. Account No: , Sort Code: Signed...Date... I an a UK taxpayer and understand that if I pay less income tax or capital gains tax than the amount of Gift Aid claimed on all my donations in a tax year, it is my responsibility to pay any difference. Please inform us if your circumstances change. If surplus funds are given I agree to my gift being used to further God s Kingdom

9 Gold Hill Baptist Church, Chalfont St Peter, Bucks. SL9 9DG t: +44 (0) e: w: /GoldHillBC /GoldHillBC